My life behind bars (a look into a criminals past)

This blog will blow your mind. A bunch of you have already heard this and if you have, bear with me because I think those that have not heard this story will find it quite intriguing!



In November 2002 I got a speeding ticket, in my neighborhood as I was leaving for work. I was going 15 over the speedlimit (45 in a 30). I totally deserved the ticket. This was during the time that John had lost his job and was making significantly less and then you had Christmas right around the corner and we didnt have much extra money. We decided to go to court and find out if I could postpone payment until January or February, just to get past the holidays. I went to my court date in mid-December and when I asked the judge about postponing it, he said as long as I paid $50 bucks of it, I could pay the rest the next month. I agreed and wasn't really thinking about the fact that that would mean that only $22.50 remained. Had I been thinking about that, I would have just paid it all then and forgot about it.

Anyway, December went by and January comes around. I completely forget about the $22.50 that I owe for the ticket and I go out of town on our annual Gatlinburg trip. My court date happens to be the Friday that we are gone to Gatlinburg. Well, as soon as I get back and realize that I have forgotten to pay this, I immediately write a check and put it in the mail. That Monday was a holiday and so the mail wasn't picked up until Tuesday. I never thought another thing about it.

Thursday night around 1130pm we get a knock on our front door. I'm sitting on the couch with my pj's on and covered in a blanket. John is lounging too. John opens the door and in walk two police men, one of which I road this bus with and who lived behind me as a child. We knew each other by name. He says...and I quote...."We are looking for Jeanine Burnside." I said, 'that's me." and they come over and say we have a warrant for your arrest for contempt of court. I was confused and asked why and they said they didnt know, they were just told to come get me. So I was like, I already paid the rest of my ticket, if that is what this is about, and I explained that it was sent through the mail. I asked if I could atleast put my bra and shoes and a jacket on before they they took me and the guy walked me back to our bedroom and made me leave the door cracked so he could see me the entire time I was changing.....the perv.....just kidding.

So I get dressed and come out and the guy I knew from school proceeds to get his handcuffs out. I was floored by this time. Come to my house at 1130 at night, watch me change clothes and then handcuff a big ole girl like me that you've known since gradeschool.....seeing as I am sure that I could outrun these young guys that are in better shape than they were in high school, it totally makes sense to handcuff me and also knowing that I am a known felon....I mean, come on.

So back to the story. I beg them not to handcuff me. I tell them that I promise I am not gonna run and then try to joke that they would catch me anyway. They don't find that too amusing and he pulls my hands behind my back and handcuffs me. He leads me out to the cruiser, doesn't even attempt to help me into the car (they guide even the hardest criminal's heads into the car so they don't knock their noggin) and to make matters worse he listens to heavy metal music all the way back to the jail! I was scrunched down in the back crying my eyes out and praying. It felt like I was in a bad dream, no.....a nightmare!

We get to the jail and again, he doesn't help me get out of the car. I have to struggle out, on my own. He pushes me into the holding room and takes the handcuff off one arm. I breathed a sigh of relief until I realized that he was just taking it off so he could handcuff me to the bench! REALLY!? He then tells me that I should call someone to come bail me out. I looked at him like he was crazy and reminded him that I had never been in that situation before and that I didn't have a clue what that meant. He told me to call any of the bail bondsmen to come to the station to post bail. I picked up the phone, still crying like a baby and called the first person I saw. After I hung up with the bail bondsmen, the officer uncuffed me long enough to take my mugg shot and then promptly recuffed me, leaving me alone for about 20 minutes.

In the meantime, John had left immediately after I had and he went to my mom and dads and informed them of what was going on. They originally thought he was joking with them and it took him a few minutes to get them to believe him. They got dressed and the three of them came to the jail to rescue me! I was lucky they got there when they did cause when he came to let me know someone was there to post bond, he also informed me that if they had been even two minutes later, I would be on my way to the Hernando Prison.......can you imagine, ME in a REAL jail!! When I came into the room with my parents and John, my mom was scwalling like a baby (I think worse than I was) and my dad was smirking at me and making random jokes about his criminal daughter!

My bail was set at $2500, so we had to pay the bail bondsmen 10% of that in order to get out. We finally were out of there and home by around 230am. I had trouble sleeping that night but I was determined to be at the courthouse when they opened so I could see what was going on with my payment I sent four days prior. When I got there and spoke to the cashier, she looked in the computer and said that there was no payment posted to my name. She then went and pulled my folder and opened it and low and behold, there was my check, in the folder, just as pretty as you please, paperclipped to the envelope I sent it in. She pulled it out and said, and I quote again, "Hmm.....I don't know how that ended up in there. It's stamped received on Wednesday but it's not posted to your name on the computer."

All that I had been through and the money was sitting in the cashiers hands when the warrant was issued on Thursday afternoon!!!! She had made the mistake that led to the series of events that cost me 250 bucks!! I had another court date for February and I was determined not let them get away with this.

Wendy was working at Austin Law Firm at the time and we were able to get one of her friends to represent me so I wouldn't be found guilty and have to pay all the fines and penalties and such. She was great and I was able to leave court that day only oweing 25 dollars in court costs!

There are several morals to this story..........
1.) Don't miss a court date.
2.) Don't speed in Horn Lake (well, don't do it anywhere, really...but if you have to, do it in Memphis, you get away with alot more!)
3.) Don't forget to pay tickets.
4.) Don't think that just because you have known someone seemingly your entire life that they will treat you any differently than a common criminal.
5.) Don't open your door at 11:30 at night unless you KNOW you don't have a warrant out for your arrest! LOL